A Karofsky Affair
by melissa.maier.902
Summary: This is a one-shot companion piece to "Don't Mess With The Godmother." Dedication and additional summary inside.


**AN: This is a companion piece to "Don't Mess With The Godmother." While I think this can be read as a stand-alone piece, there are parts that might not make sense if you haven't read the other story. This was requested by and is dedicated to: **MRSDARRENCRISS589. **Thank you for inspiring me!**

Bella looked up from her laptop.

It was about five in the morning, yet she smiled softly as she looked over at the man currently sleeping in her bed. Paul Karofsky still had the ability to shake her normal stoic foundation to its core and transport her back into that fifteen year old girl that fell in love with a handsome football player.

She thought back to that day…

_It was the first day of her sophomore year and Annabella La Grace hurried from the parking lot into McKinley High School. She looked back at her sister in aggravation._

"_Elizabeth, move it! I don't want to be late on the first day."_

"_Just go on without me Bella," Lizzie said as she searched the parking lot. "I told Burt I'd meet him out here."_

"_Of for the love of all things holy, you're still hung up on that Hummel boy? He's a Lima Loser, Liz; you could do so much better."_

"_Annabella! Take that back! Burt is NOT a Lima Loser." Elizabeth stomped her foot as she glared at her sister._

"_Whatever," Bella smirked. "I'm going to class."_

_Bella breezed into her first period class. She was in all AP classes and was the only sophomore in the Pre-Calculus class. Because of Lizzie's dawdling, Bella arrived to find all the seats up front were already taken. She gritted her teeth in frustration as she made her way to the back._

_The teacher came in and introduced himself before informing the class to get acquainted with the person sitting next to them as that would be their project partner for the year._

_Bella was startled out of her thoughts by a hand that shot out in front of her._

"_Hey, I'm Paul," the boy said._

_She looked at the hand before letting her eyes travel up to the boy's face. She gasped softly. This boy had the most beautiful pale blue eyes, set in a round face that was smiling brightly at her. His dark brown hair fell in soft curls at the base of his neck. Bella shook her head to get her bearings. She was not the type to swoon over some dumb boy, but this one was just… wow._

_Bella took his hand hesitantly. "I-I'm Annabella, but everyone calls me B-Bella."_

"_Nice to meet you Bella. Are you a junior?"_

_She shook her head no. "Sophomore. You?"_

_Paul chuckled. "I'm a freshman."_

_Bella's eyes went wide. "A freshman? But you're huge!"_

_Paul's smile fell and Bella realized what she said._

"_No! No… not what I meant. Umm, I just meant you seem older… very muscular," she stammered._

_Paul's eyebrow rose._

_Bella groaned and dropped her head to the desk. "Kill me now," she mumbled._

_Paul chuckled. "Don't worry about it Bella. I understand. I get that a lot because of my size."_

_Paul wasn't over-weight but he was well built for his age. Puberty came early for the Karofsky men and Paul was no exception. He was actually looking forward to trying out for football in high school, hoping his size would work to his benefit._

"_Paul, I'm sorry, really. I have a habit of blurting out whatever's in my head without thinking. I think you're very attractive." _

_Bella froze wide-eyed as she realized what she just said before dropping her head back onto the desk._

_Paul chuckled as he blushed. "You're pretty hot yourself," he whispered._

_Bella looked up at him. "Really?"_

"_Really," he replied before winking at her._

_She blushed._

_Trying to find a safe subject to discuss she looked down at her books. "Are you taking any other AP classes?" she asked._

"_Unfortunately, yes," he grimaced. "My dad says if I want to get into law school I gotta take the hard classes; no slacking for Karofskys."_

_Bella smiled. "Law school? Ambitious! What type of law?"_

"_I haven't decided yet, but I'm leaning toward either Corporate or Entertainment Law."_

"_Wow! That really is ambitious. Where are you planning on going to law school?"_

"_Probably Ohio State, unless I get a scholarship. I'm trying out for football and hockey."_

"_Athletic too?" Bella whistled. "Brains and brawn… that's a deadly combination Paul Karofsky."_

_Paul laughed. "What about you… Annabella…?"_

_Bella grinned. "Annabella La Grace." She held out her hand and shook Paul's, properly this time._

"_Beautiful," he mumbled. "So, what about you Annabella La Grace? What does the future hold for you?"_

"_After graduating from this dump - at the top of my class of course - I'll be heading off to Harvard or Yale. I haven't decided who will lucky enough to get me, yet. Once there I'll be majoring in Business. I'll take over my first company before I'm twenty-five and have my first million shortly after that. I'm destined for greatness." She grinned at him._

_Paul smiled back. "Of that I have no doubt Bella. No doubt at all."_

_They spent the rest of the class chatting back and forth. The last few minutes the teacher handed out the syllabus for the year and told them to come prepared to work the next day because they would only get the one free day._

_Paul and Bella had the exact same schedule up to and including lunch. As the duo left their third period class, Paul asked Bella to join him for lunch and she agreed._

_Paul held out a chair for Bella before sitting down next to her. She smiled softly at him._

"_Well, who do we have here Pauly?"_

_Paul smiled at his best friend. "This is Annabella La Grace; Bella for short." He grinned at Bella. "Bella this is my best friend, Aaron Adams."_

_Bella nodded at the boy across the table. He had beautiful mocha colored skin and big brown eyes that were shinning with amusement as he looked between Bella and Paul._

_Just as Paul was about to say something several others joined their table._

"_Wow, Paulster, who's the babe?" the boy leered at Bella._

_Bella rolled her eyes as Paul groaned._

"_Bella, this is Jonah Puckerman, but feel free to ignore him."_

_A really tall boy started laughing as he dropped into the seat next to Jonah. "Karofsky burned you Puck!" He held out a fist for Paul to bump._

"_Ya, ya… yuck it up." Jonah glared at the two boys. "You're real funny."_

"_Bella, the giant comedian is Christopher Hudson."_

"_It's nice to meet you," Bella smiled._

_A snooty looking blond boy sat down followed by a good looking Hispanic boy._

"_The blond is Russell Fabray and the other guy is Steven Lopez. Guys, this is Bella." The boys nodded towards her. "Where's Pierce?" Paul asked._

"_Dumbass tripped over his own feet again," Russell snorted._

_Steven glared at the other boy. "Leave him alone and stop being such a dick, Fabray."_

"_Fuck off, Lopez," Russell replied. "Not everyone shares your affection for Pierce."_

_Paul shook his head and mouthed 'I'm sorry' to Bella._

_Keith Pierce arrived a few minutes later and slid into the seat next to Steven._

"_Sorry," he mumbled._

"_Don't worry about it Keith." Steven pointed to Bella. "That's Paul's girl, Bella."_

_Bella and Paul both blushed as all the other boys laughed._

"_Bella?"_

_Bella's head shot up to stare as Burt Hummel sat down._

"_You two know each other?" Adams asked._

"_Ya, Bells is Lizzie's sister." Burt looked over at Paul and then back at Bella._

"_Holy shit!" laughed the Puckerman boy. "So this is the one that hates your guts, Burt?"_

_Bella paled. She was going to kill Elizabeth._

"_I don't hate Burt," she said quietly. "I just don't see what my sister sees in him." She blushed furiously when she realized what she just said._

_Before she could apologize the others started laughing._

"_Man, this one is perfect Paul!" Fabray called out. "Don't mess this up."_

_Bella looked over at Paul to apologize but he just chuckled._

_Just then a tall lanky boy slid into the seat next to Puckerman. He smiled at some of the guys but didn't make a lot of eye contact._

"_Bella this is Hiram, Hiram Berry. He's like Puck's cousin once removed or somethin', but don't hold that against him," Hudson grinned._

"_It's nice to see you again, Hiram." Bella smiled at the young man. She was happy she knew someone in this motley group._

_Hiram looked up in surprise. "Annabella! I'm sorry I didn't see you there. How was your summer?"_

"_The usual. I spent a lot of time in the library. How about you?"_

"_Wait! How do you know my cousin?" Puckerman asked._

"_Jonah, Annabella and I had a few classes together last year." Hiram smiled over at Bella._

"_So you're a sophomore?" Adams asked._

_Bella nodded._

"_Nice, dating an older woman Karofsky! I didn't think you had it in you." Adams laughed along with several of the others._

"_Just ignore them Bella, I do," Paul told her._

_Bella chuckled._

"_Well at least you won't have to worry about Berry stealin' your girl, Karofsky." Fabray sneered._

_Hiram dropped his fork and looked down into his lap._

_Bella's head snapped in Russell's direction as she leveled a glare at the boy. Just as she was about to say something, Puckerman interrupted._

"_Fabray!" he barked. "You talk shit to my cousin one more time and I will rearrange your ugly face and sleep with your girlfriend. It ain't none of your damn business if he likes boys; he ain't looking at your sorry ass."_

_Hiram gasped as he shot up to his feet and ran out of the cafeteria. _

_Hudson face-palmed. "Jesus, Puck, really?"_

"_What? It ain't no damn secret but Fabray needs to keep his damn mouth shut."_

"_You're both morons," Paul growled._

_Bella shook her head. It had only been about ten minutes but already she felt like lunch was dragging on forever. She really wanted to leave and find out if Hiram was alright, but she wanted to be close to Paul as well._

_Just then Elizabeth and some of her friends arrived._

_Lizzie slipped onto Burt's lap and dropped a kiss on his cheek. "Hi Sweetie," she smiled._

"_Hey Lizzie," he grinned back before nodding his head in Bella's direction._

_Elizabeth was nothing short of shocked to see her sister sitting so close to Paul Karofsky._

"_Bells?"_

"_Hey Lizzie," Bella returned while trying to pretend that this wasn't something to be surprised about._

_Lizzie smiled tentatively at her sister. "You remember Judy Wilson, Bells?"_

_Bella nodded and smiled at the blonde girl as she went and sat down next to the Fabray boy. He quickly dropped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer._

"_Hey Lizzie, where's Carole and Nora?" Hudson asked as he looked around the lunchroom._

_Lizzie giggled. _

"_The new Cheerio's coach, I think her name is Sylvester or something, called them into her office. They should be here soon though, Christopher," she smirked._

_He had the grace to blush before going back to his lunch._

_It was about five minutes later when the girls arrived. Bella looked at Carole and smiled. She was a very pretty girl and it was obvious she thought the world of Hudson as the couple cuddled close._

_Nora sat next to the Adams boy and stole a French fry off his plate._

"_Woman! You tryin' to get your hand bit?" he playfully growled at her._

_In return she just grinned and stole another one._

_Puckerman growled and glared at the girl before pushing his tray away and stomping off._

"_What I'd miss?" Paul asked as he watched Puck push some kids out of his way._

_Keith laughed. "Puck got caught kissin' on some girl last weekend at temple so Nora's ignoring him. Apparently he doesn't like the taste of her medication."_

"_It's 'taste of his own medicine' Keith, that's how the phrase goes," Lopez added._

"_But Stevie, Nora's giving him the medicine, right?" Keith looked toward his best friend in confusion._

"_Never mind, Keith – it doesn't matter, they get it." Steven passed his Jell-O over to blond. "Here, I noticed you dropped yours."_

"_Thanks Stevie!" Keith smiled brightly._

_The rest of the lunch period passed quickly. Bella tried to keep up with the back and forth banter but she kept getting lost. Never really having friends of her own, she found herself confused by the way they treated each other. Bella didn't make friends easy and was always more comfortable buried in her books. She almost thought they hated each other but yet they still hung out all the time and there was plenty of laughter, even if she didn't get most of the jokes._

_After lunch they went their separate ways; Paul had gym and then football tryouts and Bella was off to the library using her study hall period to get ahead on some of the work for her AP classes. Paul asked for her phone number and kissed her hand when she wrote it down for him._

_Bella practically floated down the hallway to study hall._

"Penny for your thoughts?" Paul whispered into Bella's ear as he wrapped his arms around her from behind her chair.

Bella chuckled. "I was actually thinking about the first day we met."

"Hmm, yes, my freshman year. I remember. I was clearly seduced by this sexy older woman."

Bella shook her head and laughed.

"Why don't you come back to bed?" Paul asked.

"In a few minutes, okay? I need to look over some of these reports on a few companies I'm interested in."

Paul sighed softly and placed a kiss on her cheek. He made his way back to bed and propped himself up against the headboard. He watched Bella as she clicked through documents on her computer while making notes on a pad balanced on her leg.

This woman was everything and nothing like the young girl in his memories. There were times when he looked at her and he could see the insecure teenager he once fell in love with. Yet, at the same time, she always had this hard exterior that had only become harder and more polished over the years. Paul didn't kid himself; he probably contributed to his fair share of the cracks Bella hid so well.

Bella was the reason he enjoyed high school so much; at least until senior year. He grinned as he thought back to those first few days of school.

_The first week of high school was pure bliss for Paul. Every day he walked Bella to class and sat beside her. They would share smiles and glances. Paul was working up the courage to hold her hand. He should have known that Bella wouldn't make it easy on him._

"_Why don't you hold my hand?" she asked as they walked to lunch that first Thursday._

_Paul blushed. "I was working up to it Bells." He shook his head and grinned._

"_Well? What are you waiting for?"_

"_Nothing Bella," he replied as he took her hand in his own._

_It felt so right to hold her small pale hand in his. The contrast in size and coloring fascinated him. _

_Paul knew he was getting in deep._

_Bella was all he thought about, she was even invading his dreams at night. He was addicted to her perfume and her laughter, basically, everything that made Bella who she was. He even liked her biting sarcasm and sharp wit, her sense of humor and most of all her ability to make him feel like the smartest guy in the world. She challenged him in class and over homework. She encouraged him to always do better._

"_Will you be my girlfriend?" he blurted right before they entered the lunchroom._

_Bella arched an eyebrow at him._

"_That's not a very romantic way to ask Paul. Maybe you should try again?"_

_Paul chuckled, typical Bella he thought._

_He pulled her over to an alcove and took both of her hands in his._

"_Beautiful Annabella, would you please do me the honor of being my girlfriend?"_

_Bella grinned widely before throwing her arms around his neck. "Of course! Silly!"_

_Paul hugged her close lifting her off the ground as he swung her around._

"_Alright you two, that's enough," Adams grinned at his best friend. "What are we celebrating?"_

"_Bella agreed to date me," Paul replied._

"_Lucky you," he winked at Bella. "Come on, before Hudson eats everything."_

_Later that day Paul found out he made the JV football team along with all his friends. He was so excited but the only person he wanted to share the news with was Bella so Paul bought a bunch of daisies and headed over to her house._

_He was a little nervous when he rang the bell._

_A beautiful blond woman answered the door. Paul introduced himself to the woman, who turned out to be Bella's mother. She invited him in and called up the stairs for Bella._

_Paul watched his girl skip down the stairs and he was even more smitten. At home, Bella seemed so much more relaxed and carefree. She stopped short when she saw him._

"_Paul? What a nice surprise." She was smiling at him brightly._

"_I had some good news I wanted to share with you, but first, I brought these for you." Paul handed her the flowers._

"_Oh! Daises are my favorite!"_

_She hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Paul."_

"_You're welcome, Bella." He ran his thumb across her cheek softly. "I made the team," he whispered._

"_You did!" Bella squealed. "Congratulations Paul. I'm so happy for you."_

_She hugged him again and leaned up on her toes to kiss his cheek._

_Paul smiled back. "I was thinking maybe we could celebrate this weekend. How about dinner at Breadstixs and a movie Saturday night? I can get my older brother to drive us." _

"_That sounds wonderful. Let me ask my mom."_

"_Mama!" Bella called out. When her mom came back into the living room she asked, "Est-ce que je peux veuillez aller dîner et un film le samedi soir avec Paul?"_

"_Comment allez-vous y parvenir et le foyer?"_

_Paul interrupted with a smile. "Mon frère plus âgé pourrait nous conduire et nous ramener chez nous, ma'am."_

_Bella clapped her hands together. "I didn't know you spoke French."_

"_A little Russian too," he replied. "My dad's brother teaches foreign languages at the University."_

_Bella's mom smiled at them both. "Je suis sûr que ce sera bien, il suffit de demander votre père lorsqu'il arrive à la maison."_

"_Thank you, Mama."_

"Now who's zoning out on me?" Bella giggled, a rarity, as she crawled into bed next to Paul.

"I was remembering rushing over to tell you I made the team the first week of school and asking you out on my first date." He grinned at her while pulling her closer.

"Ah, yes, the infamous first date at Breadstixs. It wasn't so bad." Bella cuddled closer.

Paul snorted. "Are you kidding me? Do we not remember it the same? It was awful! My stupid friends crashed the whole thing."

Bella laughed. "It wasn't that bad. Although I'll admit I can only say that now – back then I was not so understanding."

Paul turned to face Bella. He gently pushed her hair behind her ear. "One thing I know, you're still just as stunningly beautiful today as you were when you were fifteen."

Bella's eyes darted back and forth as she tried to fight back the moisture that threatened to fall. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"I love you Paul Karofsky. I have since I was fifteen and I don't see that ever changing."

"I'm glad Bells. I love you too."

Paul leaned in and kissed her softly. Their kisses turned passionate quickly.

Bella walked into the bathroom while Paul was showering.

"Do the boys know you're here?" she asked.

"No. I got your message you were back in New York and since I didn't have anything pressing at the office I decided to take a long weekend and come here. Except for my secretary I didn't tell anyone."

"Paul! Long weekend? It's Wednesday," she laughed.

"That's the perks of suffering through law school," he replied as he shut off the water and grabbed a towel.

"Hmmm, Kurt said the last time you took some time off, right before the boys moved here, poor David almost had a heart attack." She eyed him through the mirror; her gaze caught on a water droplet as it slid down his chest.

Paul chuckled. "That's because, with the exception of a few days when he had a big game or something, we didn't really take vacations. My ex-wife wasn't big on traveling. I used to take David and Azimio camping during the summer when they were little but then they discovered video games and that went out the window."

"Yes, well, we really should tell them you're here. I haven't seen them since right after New Year's. Do you know how their classes are going?"

Paul left the bathroom to get dressed while Bella finished touching up her make up. She didn't wear much because she never needed it but she did like to use mascara to make her eyelashes longer. Kurt had introduced her to a great new brand that was animal-testing free.

When she was finished she joined him in the bedroom.

"David said Puck loves the cooking school. Kurt and Rachel are complaining they are putting on weight." Paul laughed. "Finn made David join that singing group at school, but I think he actually likes it."

Bella pushed Paul's hands out of the way and took over buttoning his shirt for him. "I have a few things to finish this morning but then I can take time off to spend with you and the kids. Why don't you call and tell him you're here and then we can all go to dinner or something."

Paul rolled up the sleeves before tucking the bottom of the shirt into his jeans. "Sounds good to me. How long will you be gone? I brought some things to keep me busy, just in case you had to work."

"Maybe just a couple of hours. I'm the boss, if I want to leave, I leave." Bella smirked as she slipped into her high heels.

"I'll buzz you when I'm on my way back, okay?" After waiting for him to nod, Bella kissed Paul goodbye and breezed out the door.

Paul chuckled quietly as the door closed. He grabbed his cell phone and dialed his son's number.

"Dad?"

"Hey, son, it's not a bad time, is it?"

"No, I'm getting ready to leave for class. Is everything alright?" David sounded anxious.

"Everything's great, calm down son. I just wanted to let you know I'm in New York for a long weekend and I thought maybe you kids would like to get some dinner tonight."

"You're what?! When did you get here? Where are you?"

Paul laughed. "David, seriously you're getting worked up. I'm in New York, at Bella's. I got in last night. She's gone into work for a little while this morning but she suggested we see if you all wanted to join us for dinner."

David let out a long breath. "Sure dad, umm, what time? And where?"

"Why don't you check with your boyfriends and see if there's somewhere they'd like to go and let me know. Whatever time you decide is fine too."

"Um, o-okay… Dad, you're sure everything is alright?"

"Everything is fine. Stop being such a worry-wart." Paul laughed. "Maybe I should've just called Kurt."

"Dad!"

"I'm kidding son, jeez. Just shoot me a text and let me know where and when, okay?"

"Ya, I will. Talk to you later dad."

"Have a good day David."

Paul hung up and shook his head.

He sat on the couch and opened his brief case. He pulled out his laptop and some files. Paul searched for a pen but it wasn't in the normal holder. Annoyed at himself he got up and headed into the kitchen to find a pen. Unable to locate one, Paul decided to check Bella's office.

He opened the door and whistled loudly. Her home-office was bigger than his at the firm! It had a huge cherry wood desk and plush leather furniture. One wall was completely full with photos.

Curiosity got the better of him and he walked over to look at the photos. He had noticed there were no photos throughout the house; it seems they were all kept here. Paul noticed photos of Bella and Lizzie as children and all the way through high school. There was even one of two of them at Burt and Lizzie's wedding. He chuckled as he looked at Burt with hair.

There were recent photos added as well. Among the numerous photos of Kurt that dominated the wall, Paul noticed ones of Puck, Kurt and David. There were also photos of Finn and Rachel. He smiled as he looked at one that had all five of them together.

Paul went over to the desk to find that pen when his eye caught on a photo on Bella's desk. His eyes went wide as he picked up the beautiful silver frame. The picture was of him and Bella on their first date. Paul dropped into the chair as he caressed her face protected by the glass.

His mind traveled back to that night.

_Paul was nervous as his brother pulled up to the La Grace house. Not only was this their first official date but it was his first date ever._

_His brother teased him about fiddling with his shirt collar before he hurried from the car to knock on the door._

_Bella's father answered the door._

"_Good evening Mr. La Grace," Paul said._

"_Good evening Paul. Please come in, Bella should be right down." David La Grace held open the door._

"_Elizabeth," David called. "Go tell Bella Paul is here, please."_

"_Sure Papa." Lizzie smiled over at Paul as she ran up the stairs._

_It was only a few minutes later when Annabella came downstairs. She was wearing a beautiful blue dress with a black belt and these dainty black shoes that looked like slippers to Paul._

"_You're beautiful," Paul breathed out. He quickly blushed when he registered Mr. La Grace's chuckle._

"_Thank you," Bella whispered back. She turned to her father, "Good night Papa."_

"_Remember curfew is 10 p.m. young lady," he said as they stepped out the door toward the car._

"_Yes sir," Paul said. _

_Paul helped Bella into the backseat of the car before joining her. He ignored his brother's smirk._

"_You look very handsome tonight Paul. Green is definitely your color." Bella reached over and ran her hand across Paul's bicep._

"_Thanks Bells. I tried to find the nicest shirt so I didn't embarrass you."_

"_Nonsense! You could never embarrass me. Now you're friends? They're embarrassing." _

_Bella laughed and Paul joined in, totally agreeing with her._

_Once they got to Breadstix's Paul told his brother they would walk to the theater after dinner and if he could pick them up there around 9:30._

_He held the door for Bella as they entered the restaurant. Paul sent up a prayer for things to go right tonight._

_The hostess showed them to a large booth in the back. It was bigger than they needed for just the two of them but the woman explained they didn't have any smaller ones left._

_Just as the couple was looking over the menu, laughter caused them both to look up. Suddenly their booth was over-run with Paul's friends._

_Christopher and Carole slid in next to Bella, while Nora and Aaron slid in next to Paul. Russell and Judy joined in next to Aaron._

"_What are you jerks doing here?" Paul growled._

"_Aww, don't be like that Pauly. We're here for dinner and you had all this room so we decided to join you." Aaron laughed loudly at his friend discomfort._

_Paul was about to argue when Bella placed her hand on his arm._

"_It's okay Paul. Don't get yourself upset."_

"_But Bells this is our first date. I didn't plan on these goons crashing it."_

_Bella chuckled. "I know. It's the thought that counts."_

_Paul smiled at her before turning his glare on his friends. "I hate you all."_

"_No you don't," Chris grinned back. "You know you love us."_

_Paul rolled his eyes. _

_Then he realized Nora was there with Aaron. "Hey, are you two here on a date?"_

"_No, just friends." Aaron smiled over at Nora. "We can't wait to see the look on Puck's face." The two friends laughed._

"_Well here's your chance," Russell cut in. "Loser boy just entered the building."_

"_Hey," Christopher glared. "Stop being a dick Russ."_

_Russell's response was to roll his eyes._

_Puck approached the table but he wasn't alone. Pierce and Lopez were with him._

_The trio squished into the booth. Jonah looked over at Nora._

"_I know what you're up to woman. It won't work."_

_Nora smirked at him. "I have no idea what you're talking about, but I think I see some lonely old ladies over there. Shouldn't you hurry over?"_

_Russell started laughing._

"_She's got a point," Russ said._

"_Shut up Fabray," Jonah growled._

"_Both of you need to chill out!" Aaron commanded. "Jonah, you know Nora and I are just friends. You two need to work out your issues some other time. Fabray you really need to stop being a horse's ass all the time."_

_Just then the waitress came over to take their orders. Paul asked Bella what she wanted before ordering for them. Everyone else ordered as well._

_Conversation flowed around the table. The other girls asked where Lizzie was and Bella told them she had planned to cook dinner for Burt tonight at their house. After that the girls kept up steady chatter trying to include Bella as much as possible but Bella really wasn't interested in gossip or chatter. However, she didn't want to annoy Paul's friends or embarrass him so she tried to seem interested as much as possible. It wasn't too bad._

_Their food arrived and with the exception of the horrible table manners being displayed Bella was actually having a good time. She and Paul would whisper to each other since they were squished in so tight._

_As they were getting ready to leave though, Bella asked the waitress to take her and Paul's picture as a memento of the night. The server gladly agreed to help out._

_Paul and Bella had posed together with their arms wrapped around each other as the woman took the picture. The next thing they knew the whole gang had joined in and several pictures were taken._

Paul came back to himself and smiled at the photo. The one Bella had framed on her desk was that very first shot of just the two of them. He carefully placed it back on her desk. He sighed as he opened the drawer to retrieve a pen. Paul wanted to do it right this time and keep Bella in his life but the same reasons they broke up all those years ago still existed today.

He wasn't cut out for big city life. Sure, visiting New York was fun occasionally but unlike his son, this is not where Paul wanted to live permanently. He also wasn't one to go traveling all over the world either and he knew that was a big part of Bella's life. She had business and interests all over the world.

He sighed again.

Paul knew he loved Bella. He knew he had never really stopped, even when he married another woman. Now she was back in his life and he still didn't have any answers. Shaking his head to get rid of the melancholy threatening to settle in, Paul stood and left the office. He sat back down on the couch and picked up one of his case files; hoping work would take his mind off of things.

Meanwhile, Bella entered her office and barked out for her PA to grab a pen and paper and follow her. Once the woman was seated on the edge of the chair ready to take down Bella's orders, Bella's lips twitched softly.

"Jennifer, I emailed several items that need to be fully researched on the three companies we are currently considering. Some of the items are for you and some are for the staff and accountants. Please disseminate the work load accordingly. Also, reschedule all meetings or conference calls scheduled for the remainder of this week."

Jennifer's head whipped up in surprise. "Ma'am?"

"I will be out of the office until Monday and I do not wish to be disturbed unless it is a dire emergency. I expect everyone to get their work done and ready to go over everything Monday morning."

"Yes Ma'am," Jennifer nodded.

"I will only be here for an hour or so this morning so you'll have to reschedule this afternoon's meetings as well. Oh, and get me my nephew on the line right away."

Jennifer snapped to her feet. "Certainly. Which nephew Ma'am?"

"Kurt."

Jennifer nodded before hurrying from the room. She closed the door behind her and fell back against it. She took a couple of deep breaths. She has been working for Annabella La Grace for the last twenty-five years and that woman had taken time off three times that required meetings to be moved.

The first time was when Kurt was born but that was only for a day. The second time was when her sister passed, Bella had taken a week. Then there was the year before last, when her brother-in-law was in the hospital. However, even though she stayed in Ohio for several months she had continued to work and handle most meetings remotely. So for her to clear her schedule for the weekend, well, it had Jennifer worried. She truly hoped nothing was wrong.

Jennifer rushed to her desk and immediately dialed Kurt's number. Bella's nephew was such a charming young man and such a joy to talk with.

"Hello, this is Kurt."

"Good morning Mr. Hummel. It's Jennifer."

"Oh good morning Jenny! I've told you a million times to call me Kurt. Mr. Hummel is my father." He laughed.

Jennifer could help but smile. "Kurt, I hope all is well?"

"Yes, we're all good. What can I do for you my dear? Ready for that make over I promised?"

"Not quite," she chuckled. "Your aunt would like to speak with you. Can you hold the line please?"

"Sure. I'll talk to you later Jenny."

Jennifer placed Kurt on hold and rang the inner office.

"Ma'am, Kurt is on line three," she announced before hanging up.

She glanced down to make sure the call connected before opening the documents Bella sent her.

"Kurt," Bella smiled into the phone. "How are you?"

"I'm fine Aunt Bella. How was your trip?"

"Ha! I'm on to you brat. What you really want to know is if I brought you back that fabric you wanted from Milan."

Kurt started laughing.

"Aunt Bella I already know you brought me the fabric! I am your favorite nephew," he giggled.

"I don't know," Bella paused. "Noah did make me those wonderful cookies…"

She waited for a few seconds before laughing. Her beloved nephew always brought out a playful side of Bella no one else ever saw, well, except for Paul, but that was different.

Kurt huffed playfully. "Uh-huh, sure. So what can I do for you Aunt Bella?"

"Paul is in town. He, umm, flew in last night, late. He is supposed to call David and invite all of you to dinner tonight but I wasn't sure if David would freak out so I thought I'd give you a heads up."

"I seeeeeee," Kurt sing-songed into the phone. "I'm assuming Paul is staying with you, right?"

"You are correct, young man."

"When are you two going to stop dancing around each other? You've been seeing each other since dad's heart attack. Don't you think it's time to settle down and make a commitment?"

"Alright brat, enough. Do you all want to join us for dinner tonight or not?"

Kurt giggled again. "When you say all, am I to assume that includes the Berry-Hudson couple as well?"

"Of course! Finn is my favorite nephew after all."

"Nice try!" Kurt laughed into the phone. "Hold on."

Bella actually chuckled as well.

Kurt came back on the line. "Rach has a late class today but we could meet up after, does around seven work?"

"That's fine. Where would you like to go?"

"I don't care, where ever, but if Finn's going don't pick anything too fancy. He gets nervous when there's too much silverware on the table."

Bella laughed. "Alright, I'll have Jennifer make reservations before I leave in a little while and text everyone."

"Leave? Where are you going?" Kurt asked.

"I'm taking a few vacation days while Paul is here."

Kurt gasped. "Wait! So you're telling me, Paul Karofsky took time off work and flew to New York in the middle of the night and now you are taking time off as well?"

"Those are the facts kiddo," she grinned.

"Right. We are sooooo going to talk about this later. Right now I bet David is freaking out so I better go find him. I'll see you later. Love you."

Kurt hung up and looked at the phone before tossing it onto his bed.

He found David a few minutes later. David was sitting on his bed just staring at his phone.

"Honey what's wrong?" Kurt asked as he sat next to Dave.

"My dad is here," Dave mumbled. "In New York, at Bella's. He wants to know if we want to do dinner tonight."

"I know. I just got off the phone with Bella." Kurt took David's hand. "He's a grown man, David, and he's been alone for a while. You don't begrudge him some happiness, do you?"

"It's not that," he sighed.

Just then Puck came into the room and sat down on Dave's other side.

"Just tell him, big guy." Puck rubbed Dave's arm.

"Tell me what?" Kurt asked. He was starting to worry.

David shook his head to clear it. "It's just – what if – you know they…" he waved his hands in a vague motion.

"Hamhock, I have no idea what the hell that means." Kurt looked over at Noah.

Dave growled softly and tried to get up but Puck leaned on his shoulder keeping him seated.

"Davey's worried if Bells and Paul hook up and marry that you and he will be related; causing your relationship together to be creepy."

Dave leaned forward and cradled his head in his hands.

"David Allan Karofsky, look at me!"

Dave looked up at Kurt slowly.

"Nothing, except you or Noah saying this relationship is no longer what you want, could ever cause us to break up. I thought you understood how much I love you, how much I love both of you. We've been together for almost two years for Gaga's sake!"

"Kurt, but it would be different."

"No it wouldn't. David, Bella is my Aunt but even if she married your dad, she's not blood related to you." Kurt huffed. "Noah help me out here, please."

"I've been trying Princess. I told him all this months ago." Puck rubbed circles on Dave's back.

Kurt took a deep breath. "David, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you and Noah, but, if you want to throw all that away then I don't know what to say. I also love Paul and Bella. I won't compromise their happiness. They've both been through so much and deserve to have this."

"W-what?" Dave stammered.

"You heard me. You need to get right with this. Those two are their own worst enemies. They don't need anyone else standing in their way."

Kurt stood up and smoothed down his jeans.

"We are meeting Bella and Paul at the bistro over by NYADA at 7:00, Noah. David I hope you join us."

Kurt leaned over and kissed Puck softly before kissing David on the head. He left the room, he was late for class.

"Dude, I gotta go too. I love you big guy. I hope you're there tonight." Puck dropped a kiss on Dave's head as he headed out the door.

David sat there for a few moments before he reached for his cell phone. He typed out a message to his dad with the place and time. Slinging his backpack onto his shoulder, he sighed once again.

Bella slipped into the town car and smiled to herself. The look on her employee's faces was priceless when she left.

She thought about why they were surprised. Bella didn't do things like take vacations, leave the office early, or cancel meetings. But, for Paul she would and more. She couldn't help but think back to the night they broke up.

_It was the middle of August. Paul and Bella had gone to dinner and were parked by a small lake just outside of town._

"_Do you have everything you need for college Bells?" Paul asked as he pulled her close to his side._

_Paul was about to start his senior year. Bella had just graduated at the beginning of summer and was looking forward to going to Yale in a couple of weeks._

"_Yes. I have everything, thank you." Bella bit her lip. "Paul?"_

"_Ya, babe."_

"_We need to break up," she blurted._

_Paul moved his arm and shifted in his seat to face her._

"_What the hell are you talking about Annabella?"_

_Bella grimaced. In the almost three years they'd been dating, Paul only called her Annabella when he was seriously pissed off at her._

"_Paul, be reasonable. I'm off to college in two weeks. You have your whole senior year ahead of you. There'll be cheerleaders and parties. I can't be there for that and it's not fair to ask you to give up those things. You know long distance relationships don't work. I won't tie you down like that."_

"_That's bullshit! And you know it!" Paul growled. "I thought we loved each other, Bella."_

"_That's not fair!" Bella yelled as she moved back across the seat._

"_You know I love you Paul," she pleaded. "You've been my first everything; my first love, my first real friend, my first time having sex. I'm not someone who gives that away easily. But you can't ask me to do this. It's fair to either of us."_

_She tried to take his hand but he yanked it away._

"_Paul, please, don't be like this. Maybe when you graduate from college things will be different. We don't know what life has in store for us. I can't, I won't, give up my dreams. Lima isn't for me. It never has been. I want more. I've never hidden that from you."_

"_Damn it Bella! I'm not asking you to! I never would. All I want is for us to be together. I'll apply to colleges near yours; maybe we could get a place together somewhere in between. Just don't do this, don't leave me…" he choked back a sob._

"_Paul, I…" Bella took a breath. "I don't want that life. Sure you're willing to go away to college but you've always talked about coming back here, opening a practice, raising a family. I don't even like people – let alone children! Surely you see that? I'm never coming back here unless it's for a visit and even then I won't stay long. That's not what you want. This is better."_

"_Maybe it's better for you Annabella, but it's not for me. I love you but you're willing to throw all that away. I hope your dreams keep you warm at night."_

_With that Paul started the car and took her home. He didn't even look at her as he pulled up in front of her house. When she got out she turned to say something but he didn't even wait to hear it, he just pulled away with squealing tires._

_That night Bella cried herself to sleep. She refused to talk to anyone even though her parents and Lizzie tried. Bella made herself a promise the next morning as she packed the rest of her things; never again would she let someone into her heart. All it did was complicate things._

Bella startled out of her thoughts as the driver opened her door. She looked up at the high-rise she owned and resided in. Tipping the driver and retrieving her briefcase Bella made her way through the lobby and to the elevator. As she pushed the button for the top floor, she reflected that Paul had been right all those years ago. All her money and power, all the companies she bought and sold, none of that keep her warm at night. None of that loved her, and if she was honest, she no longer loved it like she did in her youth.

She gave up on Paul, on them and their love, once before and she was determined she would not make that mistake again. Now she just had two things to worry about. The first, and most important, was convincing Paul that she was choosing him this time, no matter what. The second was moving back to Lima. This caused a shudder to go through her, but she reminded herself that it was worth it to be with Paul – just like she should've years ago.

Paul was just getting off his phone with his secretary and closing his briefcase when Bella walked in the door. He looked us and his breath caught. How in the world could this woman have grown more beautiful over the years? He smiled at her as he hoped this time he wouldn't get his heart broken again.

_Bella had been wrong when she broke up with Paul. She wanted him to enjoy his senior year, hang out with friends, and live it up. Instead it was the worst year of his life. Utterly heart-broken, he ghosted through senior year. He went to classes and he went to work. Occasionally he hung out with the guys but it was just awkward. He didn't laugh and if he did smile it never reached his eyes._

_After graduation, his friends dispersed. Aaron Adams went off to Florida for college, Russell and Judy went to Ohio State, Christopher and Carole got married right before he shipped out to boot camp, Jonah and Nora also got married. Lopez and Pierce went off to college, somewhere in Tennessee, on athletic scholarships. Hiram decided to try his luck out west the year before and had come home with a partner, some guy named LeRoy. The guy was nice and everyone, except for Russell, seemed happy for them._

_The hardest had been Burt and Lizzie. They got married and bought a house while Burt took over his father's garage. Paul hadn't been able to attend the wedding because Bella was coming home for the event. Instead, he drank himself sick that night and passed out in his parents' basement._

_The next day Paul left for college. He'd been accepted at both Harvard and Yale but he didn't tell anyone that. He decided on the University of Texas, hoping it was far enough away to out run his memories._

_He met Mary, David's mother, his sophomore year. They had a few classes together and were in the same study group. Mary actually asked him out, first to coffee and then again to dinner the following week. Paul told her he wasn't looking for a relationship - been there done that - but she was persistent. They dated off and on for the next two years but Paul was never into it much. When he got accepted into law school, Mary was thrilled for him._

_It was right before graduation and they'd been out to dinner when she brought up marriage. Paul had never talked about Bella with Mary, partly because his heart still hurt whenever he thought of her but mostly because Mary wasn't the type to ask for details. Paul told Mary he didn't love her, he liked her – she was a nice girl – but that was all. Mary told him he couldn't pine over whoever broke his heart forever, that he deserved a life, that even if they didn't have a lot of passion – they had friendship and mutual respect – and that was more than some people had._

_Paul caved and bought her a ring that he placed on her finger two days before the start of law school. They shared a run-down apartment for four years, until he graduated. It wasn't always easy and they didn't always get along but Paul figured this was good as it was going to get._

_He had kept in touch with the guys. Returning to Lima for Christopher's funeral and Russell and Judy's wedding. After he graduated from law school his father passed away and that's when he decided to move back to Lima and be there for his mother. Mary hadn't been thrilled and only agreed once he told her she could plan the wedding as long as it was in Lima._

_Aaron Adams had married a nice woman while in Florida and the two best friends moved back to Ohio about the same time. At his bachelor party, Paul remembered Aaron asking him if he really even wanted to marry Mary. Paul's response was it was better than being alone._

_When David was born, shortly after, Paul seemed to snap out of his eight year funk. This had an adverse effect on his marriage. Mary seemed cold and bitter that Paul doted on David, showing the love and affection he never bothered to show her. Paul couldn't help it and no one had ever pieced together the fact that David was named after Bella's father._

"I spoke to Kurt. Did you get in touch with David?" Bella asked as she cuddled next to Paul on the couch.

"Yup. He sent me a text, 7 p.m. at some bistro near Rachel's school." Paul leaned down and kissed Bella, unable to resist.

"Mmm, now this is my kind of homecoming," she mumbled against his lips with a grin.

Paul just tightened his arms around her and deepened the kiss.

When air became necessary, Bella pulled back softly and slipped to her feet. She yanked Paul up with her and practically pulled him all the way to the bedroom.

After kicking the door shut she proceeded to take his clothes off him as fast as she could, becoming impatient with the buttons, she grabbed each side of the material and ripped – sending buttons flying everywhere. Paul chuckled before leaning down to steal another kiss.

Half naked they tumbled to the bed; lips and hands trying to be everywhere all at once. Both of them desperate from their earlier reminiscing, they wasted no time on a lot of four play. As Paul sank into the warm heat of Bella's body he released a sigh he didn't realize he was holding in. Passion had never been lacking between them and the years apart had done nothing to change that.

An hour later they lay side-by-side, trying to regain their breath.

Bella chuckled. "Wow. I think I can used to that!"

Paul turned to face her and ran a finger along her cheek. "Well it's definitely one of the better ways for me to get in shape."

"Hush up!" Bella slapped lightly at Paul's arm. "I like your shape, very, very, much Mr. Karofsky."

Paul laughed in return. "I like your shape too Bells." He kissed her nose. "I love you Bella."

"I love you too, Paul." She smirked before turning to face him. "You up for another round?" Bella raised her eyebrow.

Paul's only response was a grin before he dove in for a kiss.

The couple had dinner with the kids and it was nice. Paul could tell something was bothering David and from the looks Kurt and Noah kept shooting him they apparently knew what it was. Paul, however, decided his son was a grown man now, half way through college with a promising career in front of him, if something was wrong he would tell Paul in his own time. If not, then Paul trusted David to figure it out.

Rachel was gushing to Bella about some audition and Paul only caught the tail end of the conversation. Apparently, Bella knew somebody named Sydney who was producing the play and she would make a call for Rachel if she wanted.

Rachel was extremely gracious but she said she wanted to make it because she deserved it. Paul could tell Bella was impressed. Even though they were in two vastly different fields, even Paul could see the similarities between Rachel and Bella and it made him smile. He hoped Finn was a strong man.

After dinner the couple said goodbye and headed for home. They made some popcorn and put in an old movie while cuddling up together on the couch. It was one of the best nights Paul could remember.

The next few days flew by and before they knew it, it was Sunday. Paul's flight was for the afternoon so they stayed in bed all morning alternating between making love and feeding each other breakfast. They even shared a shower, a first for Paul, even after all these years.

In the car on the way to the airport, Bella took Paul's hand.

"I've been thinking it's time to retire, Paul. What do you think?"

Paul was stunned. "Are-are you kidding? Bells you're not even close to retirement age."

"I know that, but, I've been thinking that I've pretty much done everything I set out to do. So maybe it's time to retire and enjoy my golden years. Would that be a bad thing?"

"No, it's not a bad thing at all. Won't you get board?"

"Well, I was hoping you could keep me busy," she smiled and squeezed his hand.

He turned to stare at Bella. Surprise and amazement etched firmly across his face.

"I would love nothing more," he breathed. "Where?"

Bella frowned. "Where what?"

"Where would I be keeping you busy?"

Bella smiled brightly. "I know this house in a place called Lima, I'm sure you heard of it. The house has recently been painted a beautiful blue and white on the outside but needs some remodeling on the inside. I was thinking it would make a wonderful retirement project, don't you?"

Paul's smile was threatening to break his face if it got any bigger.

"Are you sure, Bells? Really, really sure?"

Bella reached up and cupped Paul's cheek. "The worst mistake I've ever made in my life was letting you go Paul Karofsky. I'm no fool. I don't make the same mistakes twice. You could never be happy here in the city, and, I don't think I can ever truly be happy without you. I don't care where we live as long as it's together."

Bella's thumb brushed away a tear that had fallen from his eye. "I want to spend the rest of my life making sure you never shed another tear, unless it's from happiness."

"God, I love you!" Paul crushed his lips to Bella's.

Their hot make-out session was interrupted when the driver discretely cleared his throat.

Bella smiled. "It will probably take me about a month to tie up loose ends and turn over running the company. I'll still probably have to come back for board meetings but that's only a couple of times a year. Plus the kids are here so we can combine it with visits."

"Okay, that sounds good. I have my own retirement to look into as well."

Bella gasped softly. "Really? I thought you would…"

"I know what you thought Annabella Marie La Grace, and you were wrong. You're not the only one who's changed. I want to retire and see the world with you while we can enjoy it. Don't get me wrong, I'll always be a small town boy, but my home is wherever you are."

Bella threw her arms around Paul. "If I could, I would go back in time and kick my own ass. You are too good to be true."

Paul kissed her passionately.

"I'll call you when I get home and we'll talk more. I'll also start making arrangements at the firm. One month, Bella, and then we can start our lives over together."

"One month, Paul. I'll meet you in Lima"

**Epilogue:**

Bella stood in front of the mirror and admired the simple dress Kurt had created for her. She turned when she heard the knock.

"Come in."

Kurt smiled at his aunt as he entered. "You look absolutely stunning! That dress designer has outdone himself."

Bella laughed. "Still such a brat!" She twirled around a bit. "But you have a point; this dress designer is my favorite designer in the whole world. Not many people can say they wore a Hummel original wedding dress."

"Yes, well, I designed this dress three years ago. Who knew you and Paul would take so damn long to get to the alter?"

"Is David still freaking out?" she asked.

"David is fine. I think Puck slipped him something stronger than an aspirin."

"What?!"

"I'm kidding Aunt Bella, jeeze. Please relax. David is fine, Paul is fine, and we're all just waiting on you."

Someone cleared their throat from the doorway.

They both looked over to see Burt fiddling with his collar.

"Are we ready?" he asked.

"Yes, Burt, I'm ready." Bella smiled at both men before taking Burt's arm.

Kurt brushed a kiss to his aunt's cheek and then headed off to his place in the precession. Carole and Finn, Nora and Noah, Rachel and Hiram all walked down the aisle. Kurt, mister-of-honor, and David, best-man followed next.

Burt squeezed Bella's hand as they started down the aisle. "You really look beautiful Bella. I wish Lizzie could be here to see you."

"Thank you, Burt. I'd like to think she is here with all of us."

_~ The End ~_

* * *

French Translations (courtesy of google):

_Est-ce que je peux veuillez aller dîner et un film le samedi soir avec Paul? = Can please go to dinner and a movie on Saturday night with Paul?_

_Comment allez-vous y parvenir et le foyer? = How would you get there and home?_

_Mon frère plus âgé pourrait nous conduire et nous ramener chez nous, ma'am. - My older brother could take us and bring us home, ma'am._

_Je suis sûr que ce sera bien, il suffit de demander votre père lorsqu'il arrive à la maison. = I'm sure it will be alright, we just need to ask your father when he comes home. _


End file.
